It's " full-fledged" NOT " "full-pledged" !

               Many Filipinos are guilty of this error . They say                     “ full- pledged”. THIS IS WRONG ! It’s “ full-fledged”.

          “ Fledge ” is a verb  that refers to a stage in a bird's growth.  It  means  to develop feathers  necessary for flying ; or to leave the nest after  acquiring such feathers. A “ fledgling ” , on the other hand , is a young bird that has just learned  how to fly.  

“Full-fledged”  has three figurative definitions .

1.       having attained complete status 

       Paula is now a full-fledged lawyer. ( This is the most common context in which this expression is used. )

2.       total or complete  

       The senator promises to make public a full-fledged report on the abuses of  big  pharmaceutical companies.

3.        full blown  

     We will launch a full-fledged  fund-raising campaign  for disabled war veterans .

          Why do many  Filipinos  make a mistake on this ? It’s due to  overlapping of  contexts.  Most Filipinos  take an oath after passing a government board exam  , and  before practicing their profession. The “oath-taking ceremony ”  is usually a formal occasion that takes place in a grand venue . It’s really a cause for  celebration  for Filipino families. Now , an "oath" is almost synonymous  to a           “ pledge ".  Within this cultural context ,  many Filipinos mistakenly  assume that “ full-pledged” is the correct term. They think it refers to someone who has taken a pledge or oath to his or her  profession. But , again , this is wrong . The word should be “ full-fledged” ---to describe a young  person  who is now ready to practice his or her profession , or who is now capable of independence.

Speaking Practice Tasks - Set 1

Worth One's Salt

            The idiomatic expression “ worth one’s salt ” means that someone deserves his or her reward or salary. It also means that a person deserves respect and admiration.

         The origin of this expression can be traced to the fact that salt was a very important commodity during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. With the absence of advanced technology for food preservation , salt was used not only to enhance the flavor of food but also to prevent spoilage . Like gold and silver coins , salt was  recognized as a form of currency. It was used to barter  meat , bread , leather and other important stuff.

           Some sources say that in the earlier centuries ,some workers  and soldiers  were paid  in “ salt ”. However , some scholars contradict this. Anyway , "salt "  has not lost its  association with money.  It  should be noted that the Latin word  for salt is “ sal ”, which is the root word  of the English word “ salary ”.

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS LIST 1 : A fly in the ointment ...

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS LIST   1

1. break even – make  neither profit nor loss
2. up to the mark – up to standard , good enough
3. on edge – nervous , tense , irritable
4. you live and learn – become wiser , gain more experience with age
5. through and through – completely , thoroughly
6. grin and bear it – suffer something unpleasant with optimism  because  one cannot change it
7.  blow by blow – ( when giving an account of something ) including all the details and events
8.  hold one’s horses – be patient , wait , or slow  down
9.  the rat race – the frantic , competitive struggle to do better than others
10. a fly in the ointment -  a difficulty  or something  unpleasant  which prevents  or spoils  total satisfaction or enjoyment
11. a fish out of the water -  someone who feels uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations
12. call a spade a spade – speak frankly
13. keep one’s fingers crossed – hope or wish for luck
14. raise hell – create great disturbance , protest or complain loudly and angrily
15. above board – legal , without secrecy
16. beat around the bush -  talk indirectly about something
17. keep up  with the Joneses -  compete with one’s neighbors and friends in material standards
18. deliver the goods – produce the expected results , do what is expected
19. cut the cackle -  stop wasting time with unnecessary talk
20. the acid test -  the ultimate , most severe test  that proves the ability , truth  or worth of something
21. sick and tired -  thoroughly bored or annoyed with someone or something
22. sleep on ( something ) – postpone a decision
23. at a price – with sacrifice or disadvantages
24. curry favor – try to win favor by flattery   
25. get out of the wrong side of the bed – be in a bad mood all  day

At heart or by heart ?

 

died of or died from ?

Straight From The Horse's Mouth

              The idiomatic expression “ straight from the horse’s mouth ” means that the information is  true  and reliable because it comes from the original or authentic source.  Now , where did this expression come from ? Well , here’s the story . In the olden days , it was believed that the age and general state of health of a horse can be seen in its mouth and teeth . Thus ,  horse dealers   who wanted to avoid being  cheated by lying middle men would themselves go straight to the horse and  inspect its    mouth  and teeth . The expression  caught on and developed another shade of meaning . These days , it has a  figurative meaning that something is true or  correct .

Example : 

You better believe that the company will lay off  Mr. Jones soon . The Human Resources Director himself told me . So , it's really straight from the horse's mouth.  

" One of the ..."

Grammar Lesson 3  – “ One of the …”

Don’t be confused by the word “ one ”. The expression       “ One of the …” should  be followed by a plural noun , but the verb should be singular because the subject is the word " one ". 

a. One of the men is wearing a red neck tie . 

      b.  According to a reliable source , one of the senators is           going to resign.

  

    c.  One of  his professors  has given him an “ F ”.

Grammar : A number / The Number

Grammar Lesson  2 -  The number / A number

The expression a number takes a plural verb because it means “ some ”.On the other hand , the expression the number takes a singular verb because it refers to a statistical or numerical figure.

a.  A number of UN delegates  are in  the country to monitor  poverty alleviation projects. 

b.  The  number of  endangered species   in  the world  has increased by 10 %. 

Confusing Words : Chords / Cord and Adopted /Adoptive

Chord or Cord ?

               A.      In the musical and mathematical sense , use CHORD . 

                      Kris  is learning to read guitar chords.

                Use CHORD also to describe an emotional reaction.

                The president’s speech struck a chord among the working class.

              B.      When  referring  to anatomical parts (i.e., parts of the human/animal  body )   , use CORD                           Kevin’s spinal cord was seriously injured  at the accident .

               She has inflamed and painful  vocal cords.  

  

Adopted or Adoptive ? 

        A. The adjective ADOPTED is applied to a child who was adopted .

This ten-year-old boy is Jane’s adopted son.

B.      The adjective ADOPTIVE is applied to the adult  who adopted the child.

Mr. Sanders and his wife are the adoptive parents  of Mike whose biological parents are actually  Russians.  

Nouns that are always singular in form

Grammar  Lesson 1 

Some English nouns do not have plural forms , except under special  conditions.  Here are some of them .

1.equipment                         

2. furniture

3. advice

4. music

5.jewelry

6. aircraft

7. poetry

8. homework

9. information

10. evidence

11.livestock

If you want to use them in the plural sense , words like “ pieces “ , “ units “ and “ files ”  should be used.

A.1  The  mixing equipment  is  out of order . We have to knead the dough manually. ( singular)

A.2  Three  new  units of mixing  equipment were delivered last week. ( plural )

B.1  The evidence against the accused is very strong .  ( singular )

B.2  The files of evidence were more than  enough to convict the accused .  ( plural )   

Names for groups of animals List 2

VOCABULARY LESSON 3

1.       A skulk of foxes

2.       A sounder of swine

3.       A piteousness of doves

4.       A sloth of bears

5.       A gaggle of geese

6.       A parliament of owls

7.       A colony of ants

8.       A rafter of turkeys

9.       A dray of squirrels

10.   A route of wolves

Names for groups of animals - List 1

VOCABULARY LESSON 2 

Answers to the previous quiz :

1. a convocation of eagles

2. a bed of clams 

3.a  band  of gorillas

4.a murder of crows
5.a knot of frogs

Names  for  groups of animals  - List 1 

1.     A parliament of owls

2.     A gam of whales

3.     A leap of leopards

4.     A zeal of zebras

5.     A troop of monkeys

6.     A pride of lions

7.      A kindle of kittens

8.     An ostentation of peacocks

9.     An army of caterpillars

10.                        A plague of locusts

11.                        A trip of goats

12.                        A pack of dogs 

What do you call a group of ...?

VOCABULARY LESSON 1 


English has special words for groups of animals . Here are some of them. 

Now , try this activity . 

What do you call this group ?  Here are your choices :

               bed /  knot / murder /convocation / band 

     1. A ________________________ of eagles

     2. A ________________________  of clams 

     3. A ________________________ of gorillas

.        4. A ________________________ of crows

         5. A ________________________ of  frogs

             Answers will be given in the next post . 

  

Nosebleed

             Where I come from , “nose bleed ” has a special connotative meaning .It means that a person is having difficulty in using  and understanding the  English language. The expression is usually used in humorous , light-hearted context . Well , I think we can all agree that English, indeed , is a bloody , crazy language .  While we may not literally bleed while trying to learn English , it has ---for sure --- given countless people a lot of headache. 

             This blog is for any poor soul  who , by choice or by cruel fate , has to deal with the English language. You will find lessons and information  in different serving sizes : some are in chewable bits , some are in bigger chunks.  Please don’t expect a neatly arranged list of topics.  ( I don't think neatly!) I will write my posts in “stream of consciousness” style.  To be blunt about it , it could be messy and random---depending on what I'm able to unearth first in my treasure chest of teaching materials .Just find your way around !